Since LaLiga returned, Barcelona twice pulled away from home and slipped into second place, behind two points behind the leaders Real Madrid.
There are some disagreements at the club
Quique Setien denies that the Barcelona dressing room’s atmosphere is terrible, but admitted that there are some disagreements that he reduced to the extreme circumstances of the 2019/20 season. Since LaLiga returned, Barcelona twice pulled away from home and slipped into second place, behind two points behind the leaders Real Madrid. “We all surrender part of ourselves for the good of the team,” Setien said at his pre-match press conference. “And you may have to sacrifice personal things for the good of the team. The reality is that this is a new situation, and I am in a period when I learn a lot. It is a process; time puts everyone in their place.”
Arthur will stay at the club until the end of this season
Setien also has to deal with the consequences of Arthur Melo’s controversial transfer to Juventus. The Brazilian midfielder has agreed on a five-year contract with the Italian side but will remain at Barcelona until the end of the 2019/20 season. “I do not doubt his commitment,” said Setien. “He is committed to being one of us to be fully committed to achieving our goals. I do not doubt him. He will be honorable until the last day. He said he would be in top form, and I’ll decide whether he will play more or play less.” With Barcelona falling behind Real Madrid, they have lost the race’s driving position for the title, but Setien insisted that his team need to focus on themselves and don’t worry about what Los Blancos does. “We can only control ourselves,” Setien said of the situation.
“We need to improve so that what happened the other day does not happen again. I hope that the opponent will make things easier for us, but we should go out thinking about ourselves until the last day.” On Tuesday, Barcelona faces Atletico Madrid, and Setien will hope that the victory will put pressure on Real Madrid. Still, he does not believe that the fixture against Los Rojiblancos is more critical than any other. The truth is, the matches against Atletico Madrid are extremely important than any other, Setien noted. “They are a great team, with a strong personality and way of playing. But I think that all matches are just as important as this one.”